PHIL 275 - Philosophical Issues: Gender
Spring 2010
Amy Glaser
1.12.10 Introduction
1.14.10 Sexism* – Marilyn Frye
1.19.10 Oppression – Marilyn Frye; Age, Race, Class and Sex: Women Redefining Difference – Audre
Lorde
1.21.10 White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences
Through Work in Women’s Studies – Peggy McIntosh
1.26.10 Assata: An Autobiography, ch. 12* – Assata Shakur; A Hair Piece: Perspectives on the
Intersection of Race and Gender – Paulette Caldwell
1.28.10 On Gray Hair and Oppressed Brains – Ann Gerike
2.2.10 Men, Feminism, and Men’s Contradictory Experiences of Power – Michael Kaufman Project Proposals
Due
2.4.10 Animal Liberation, ch. 1 and 3* – Peter Singer
2.9.10 The Sexual Politics of Meat* - Carol Adams; SPOM Slideshow
(http://www.caroljadams.com/spom.html)
2.11.10 Gender and Race: (What) are They? (What) Do We Want Them To Be?* – Sally Haslanger
(http://www.mit.edu/~shaslang/papers/WIGRnous.pdf)
2.16.10 Feminist Perspectives on Sex and Gender, Section 3* – Paper Due
(http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-gender/#ProSexDis)
2.18.10 Transgender Blogs*
2.23.10 Evolution’s Rainbow* – Joan Roughgarden
(https://auth.lib.unc.edu/ezproxy_auth.php?url=http://site.ebrary.com/lib/uncch/Doc?id=10057102)
2.25.10 Is it a Boy or a Girl? Video produced by The Intersex Society of North America
3.2.10 Meanings of Gender Variability Constructs of Sex and Gender* - Suzanne Kessler
(http://www.isna.org/books/chrysalis/kessler); Power, Orgasm and the Psychohormonal Research
Unit* – Kira Triea (http://www.isna.org/books/chrysalis/triea_pru)
3.4.10 Make-up Day
3.5-3.15.10 SPRING BREAK
3.16.10 If Men Could Menstruate – Gloria Steinem
3.18.10 How to Be a Good Wife* (http://iws.ccccd.edu/grooms/goodwife.htm);
I Want a Wife* – Judy Brady (http://www.columbia.edu/~sss31/rainbow/wife.html); Commitment
and the Value of Marriage – Gordon Graham
3.23.10 TBA
3.25.10 The Language of Sex: Our Conception of Sexual Intercourse – Robert Baker; Who’s on Top?
Heterosexual Practices and Male Dominance During the Sex Act – Mercedes Steedman
3.30.10 The Language of Sex: The Heterosexual Questionnaire – M. Rochlin; Lesbian “Sex” – Marilyn
Frye
4.1.10 Accounting for Cosmetic Surgery: The Accomplishment of Gender – Diana Dull and Candace
West
4.6.10 Raunch Culture* – Ariel Levy
4.8.10 Interactive Theatre Carolina (campushealth.unc.edu/itc) Completed Project
Due
4.13.10 Hunger – Naomi Wolf
4.15.10 Talking Back – bell hooks Special Event –
Final Deadline
4.20.10 Students’ Pick
4.22.10 Students’ Pick
4.27.10 Review
5.6.10 FINAL EXAM – 8:00 AM Final Exam
Readings:
The text for this course is Gender Basics: Feminist Perspectives on Women and Men, ed. Anne Minas. Second Edition.
*Readings marked with an asterisk are not included in the text and will be made available online.
Assignments and Grading
Course Presentation – 5%
Find some example outside of this classroom where gender plays a crucial role or has a significant impact. This can be an example from
your personal life, a newspaper article or blog entry, a youtube video, a children’s book or novel, an advertisement from a magazine or
television, etc. Write a 500-word essay that explains the relevance of gender in this example, and your thoughts/feelings on it. You will
sign up to present your ideas in a 5-10 minute class presentation/discussion. Your essay is due on the day you present. Course
presentations will be graded by the class.
Course Project – 25%
See handout.
Special Event – 10%
Attend a community event that is relevant to this course. Choose an event that expands your horizons. Please use blackboard to inform
your classmates of upcoming events that might be suitable for this assignment. Write a 900-word summary of the experience, relating it
to at least one course reading. This assignment is due within one week of the first class-day after the event, and no later than April 15,
2010.
Paper - 25%
This will be a 1500-word paper due February 16. Paper topic suggestions will be distributed. For information on how to write a
philosophy paper, visit http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/writing.html.
Final Exam– 25%
May 6, 8 A.M.
Participation – 10%
Attendance is required at all course meetings. On April 8, we will have a special performance by Interactive Theatre Carolina. Anyone
absent on this day without prior approval will have points deducted from his/her participation grade.
Submitting Assignments:
When possible, all assignments are graded “blind.” In order to ensure that grading is “blind”, your name and signature should appear
only on the back of the last page, and not on any page that contains written work. This should not prevent you from seeking help from
the instructor in completing the assignments.
All papers must be stapled, double-spaced, and typed in a plain font. Please include a title and word count on the first page, and your
name and honor code signature only on the back of the last page. Number your pages.
It is your responsibility to submit your work by the relevant deadline. No late assignments will be accepted without prior approval.
All students are expected to comply with the Carolina Honor Code. Every written assignment must include the student’s signature
certifying that no unauthorized aid was given or received in the completion of the assignment. For more information, please visit
http://instrument.unc.edu.
Special Needs or Concerns:
Please speak to me (or email) if you have any special needs or concerns regarding your participation in this class. I want to ensure that
everyone in this course feels comfortable participating and has the support required to do well and to get the most out of the
assignments and the material covered.
Instructor Contact Information:
Amy Glaser
amyglaser@gmail.com
Office: 107 B Caldwell Hall
Office Hours:
12:20-1:20 Tuesday and Thursday
107 B Caldwell Hall